About Us

About Feather Fantasy....Real People

The question we have most often been asked, since we are just a small family business, is what got you started.

It was a unique wrought iron cage, that we found on our honeymoon. After dragging it home under very trying conditions, like my husband hanging half out of the car to make room for this new found prize (there were no seatbelt laws back then). And since I had no bird at the time, only this huge bird cage, we set out for the next adventure. Then along came that sweet tiny Jendaya Conure, which was handfed, of course, but we quickly learned that handfed babies were very unique back then. That just wasn?t something very many people were doing, but WHAT A DIFFERENCE it made in my little bird, so I knew it was a good thing. Well, that was just a little over 20 years ago.

After hand feeding 1,000 baby birds, and taking care of their parents for many many years, here we are today. The happy parents of all those babies, now reside with a friend of mine, who has much more time and energy then I now have, and I now occasionally help my 2 oldest children, Jamie and Devin with Feather Fantasy.

Let me tell you a little about each one of us, so you know us on a more personal level.

PATTIE: Well, that is me, I am much older now then when we brought home that first bird cage, and now trying to semi-retire. Now days, my job is to keep the web site up to date, produce and print the catalog, do all the photos, and bug all you people with occasional emails about our new products and specials. I also am in charge of seeking out these new products, to keep all you customers constantly delighted with new things for your birds. I rarely work in the office now days, although that wasn?t the case for many years. So if I seem like I don?t know what I am doing, when I do answer the phone, that is because I am rarely in the office and I am not always up to date on ?office stuff?, but I do know the products, and I can help you with that perfectly.

My very favorite thing to do now days is to try and make my barren ground look like a well, garden, (don?t you know bird people, love gardening and nature things too!) Here is a photo my novice try at my Cottage garden, well it is only the first year of growth!

JAMIE: Is my oldest, and the sweetest daughter a mother could have (boy doesn?t that sound like a mother!!). She has been working for us since she was only 12. Her first job was to feed all those parent birds, and she took excellent care of every one of them. Back then, we did ALL THE BIRD SHOWS, and without her help (and of course the help of the other 4 children) we could never have grown so quickly into what we are today, the largest bird web site on the Internet.

Jamie now completely runs the office, does all the product reordering, does all the books, and helps answer phones when they get busy. She has also been with our company for 20 years now, and can answer any bird question you throw her way, and knows all our products personally.

Jamie loves outdoor stuff on her time off. She isn?t into a lot of domestic type things, but is always ready to go Quad riding, 4 wheeling, camping, and all those type of things.

DEVIN: Mom's proud eldest son that makes it possible for you to get your packages in one piece, (well those that don?t get eaten up in the UPS conveyer belts). Devin has been here doing those bird shows since he was 7. And since he was the oldest son, a lot was expected of him, and so, there he was working away doing all that heavy stuff. Although Devin did leave us for a few years to pursue the love of his life and ?not be tied too close to MOM for awhile?, we lured him back with, well some begging, that apparently worked!! Now Devin completely manages the warehouse, all the shipments, including those huge cage shipments and occasionally runs the office when we let Jamie have some time off (you know to go camping and 4 wheeling).

If you get him on the phone, his product knowledge is fabulous, because, he, especially can tell you how the Island Cages are totally put together in detail (well, he did help design them), if you need to know that information. But he does know all the products very well. He is the person that creates those lovely manzanita trees for you too-we keep him really busy!!

Devin is married with a beautiful little wife named Andrea, and lives nearby. He also loves snow boarding, camping, quad riding and 4 wheeling and all those guy things.

JIM: Jim is my wonderful husband, the one that let me drag home that bird cage. Although he didn?t work for Feather Fantasy in the beginning, well because he had to have a real job and support this huge family of 7, he did help us out whenever he had spare time. After years of building numerous aviaries, and then building our huge warehouse, (where we house all this stuff we ship to you), then building the house we live in, and the other 3 residences on the property, and in his over-time, he designing and created the Island Cage line. He now helps us where ever we need him. Whether that is making new product ideas, (we have designed many of the Island Toys, as well as playgrounds and other stuff), maintaining the 4 residences, keeping all our computers running smoothly, packing products, or just helping where we need him, he is always there. Jim rarely will answer the phone if you call, but you will occasional hear his voice on the other end of the phone.

Jim is just like Jamie and Devin and also loves to camp, quad ride and 4 wheel.

JACLYN: Jackie is our youngest daughter. She was only 1? when we started all of this. But still quite the trooper, as many of our week-ends were filled up doing bird shows. She was fantastic with the baby birds. When the kids were little, I always said, we raised the sweetest baby birds because our 5 children were the key to their socialization. And I also said, when the children are grown, I won?t raise baby birds anymore, because they won?t have that special upbringing (and that is one of the reasons why we no longer raise baby birds). Jackie?s main job was to watch over the baby birds, clean them and love them. And she did, and she did a wonderful job.

Jackie did move away to go live with her real Mom for 4 years, but just last year she came back and has her own house here on the property where she lives with her husband and that sweet little granddaughter, Adele.

Jackie?s main job it to help you get your orders properly placed and answer questions when you call. She also does all your invoicing and all those customer service type of things, like overseas shipping. She will gladly help you with all your product questions, and if she can?t answer your question, she will see to it that someone else will get you the information you need.

With a new baby, and another one on the way, Jackie doesn?t have too many outside interests right now. She works 4 days a week and spends the rest of her time seeing that those 2 children get lots of love and attention.

This photo is Jamie, Jackie and Devin doing what they love, PLAYING OUTDOORS, and people think it is always sunny in California.

BEVERLY/ GRANDMA: Yea, we even got grandma working. What would we do without all those little things she takes care of for us. She shops for all the office supplies, does all the banking, and makes a trip every single day to the post office. Believe it or not, our warehouse, which is out in the country, sort of in the middle of no where, has NO POSTAL SERVICE. So although Grandma did retire about 2? years ago, we snagged her up and put her right back to work. And just to make sure she stays really busy, we have her make most of the wash and play (plastic) toy line for us.

I think she loves it though, because it gives her plenty to do, and I know we need her, so she must feel needed.

If you call, I am sure you won?t get Grandma on the phone, but she has answered it a few times, when we are really busy, and she is there in the office.

Grandma lives here on the property in her own home as well. You know this isn?t just a family business, it is a family commune. All of us live here on the property where the warehouse is, in our own house, except Devin.

WE HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOY SOME INSIGHT ON OUR SMALL FAMILY BUSINESS. We do have 2 other children that have worked for us on and off, but Jessica now lives in Alaska, and that is way too far of a commute, and Justin works for us occasionally when we need him. Thanks again for letting us share our family with you.